The 10 biggest celebrity scandals of 2023: From Kanye West and Bianca Censori’s X-rated boat trip to ugly lawsuits and #Scandoval – a look back at the wildest moments this year

The end of 2023 is near and for many celebrities they’ll be looking forward to drawing a line under the year after months of non-stop scandals. 

From Kanye West offending the whole of Italy during his wild getaway with wife Bianca Censori to Danny Masterson‘s spectacular fall from grace and consequential imprisonment, there hasn’t been a shortage of drama. 

Alleged affairs, very public bust ups and courtroom dramas have dominated the headlines in recent months, and there’s no doubt that next year will see the fallout of many of these controversies.  

So as we prepare to welcome in 2024, MailOnline take a look back at some of the most shocking scandals of the year. 

Here’s the 10 biggest celebrity scandals of 2023. 

1. Kanye West and Bianca Censori’s Italian job 

Kanye came close to being cancelled last year when he made a series of anti-Semitic statements that led to him being banned from Twitter, denounced by celebrities, and losing a series of lucrative sponsorship deals.

While many predicted the rapper wouldn’t be able to come back from his fall from grace, that didn’t deter him from working on his musical comeback nor finding love this year, with the star shocking fans when it emerged he’d secretly tied the knot with Yeezy architect Bianca in January.

With a new zest for life and a determination to prove himself, Kanye set off to perform a series of concerts in Italy, yet it was his behaviour off the stage that raised eyebrows the most. 

During his time in Florence, Verona and Rome, the rapper and his wife shocked with their bizarre outfit choices, with Kanye often seen out barefoot and Bianca often barely clothed. 

Yet they took things a step further in Venice, when they were accused of performing a lewd sex act on a river boat, with Kanye seen exposing his bare buttocks while Bianca kneeled in front of him. 

Their bizarre behavior has prompted fury from Italian locals who declared the couple ‘banned’ from the country, and their antics even sparked a police investigation.

There was also grave concern from Bianca’s inner circle, who insisted that this is not who she really is, but rather a result of Kanye’s influence over her. 

2. Scandoval Rules 

In a year packed full of reality show dramas it was Vanderpump Rules that managed to become the most talked-about show of the year.

Even those who don’t watch the show – the first spin-off from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – couldn’t help but get caught up in the media frenzy in March when it emerged Tom Sandoval had cheated on his girlfriend of nine years Ariana Madix with their co-star Raquel Leviss.

The couple had been together for nine years and owned a home in Los Angeles together, but that all came crashing down after Tom engaged in an affair with their mutual friend – who changed her name back to Rachel after the scandal. 

Tom became an instant hate figure and had to hide out from the public after being ‘shunned by the entire country’, even having to keep his friends and family at a distance due to the abuse they were starting to receive online. 

Although he still stars on the show, Rachel quit the Bravo TV series after completing a stint in a mental health facility. 

Tom has since confirmed he’s no longer in contact with Rachel, claiming she cast him aside when the scandal came to light.

He explained: ‘We were best friends. It’s heartbreaking to go through. I was fully in love with her. She’s not just some hot girl. I was a model for 15 years — it’s deeper than that.

‘The way she just shooed me away… I don’t know, I’m not in her head.’

3. Ariana Grande‘s Wicked ways with Ethan Slater 

Eyebrows were raised when Ariana confirmed her romance with Wicked co-star Ethan in July just three days after it emerged she had split from her husband Dalton Gomez. 

The co-stars met in December 2022 in the UK on the set of the film adaptation of the smash-hit Broadway musical, in which Ariana plays Glinda – the good witch – alongside Ethan as munchkin Boq.

At the time Ariana was married to Dalton – who she had a whirlwind romance during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, getting engaged that same year and tying the knot in 2021. 

Ethan was married to his high school sweetheart Lilly Jay. The couple tied the knot in 2018, and their son was born in 2022.

It was reported the West End star only told his wife about Ariana shortly before the news was made public, and she was ‘completely blindsided’ by the relationship, just months after they’d welcomed their first child together.

In another blow, the ‘heartbroken’ new mum was said to have felt ‘betrayed’ because Ariana had previously spent time with herself and her husband when they were still married. 

This is not the first time that Ariana has faced allegations of infidelity. Her ex, Jai Brooks, accused the Thank U, Next singer of cheating on him in 2013 with The Wanted’s Nathan Sykes. 

Amid confusion over their dating timeline, Ariana and Ethan took the next stop in September, as it was reported the pair were living together in New York while Ethan performs in the Broadway version of Spamalot. 

4. Diddy is dogged by lawsuits 

The music industry was rocked in November when Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was accused by ex-girlfriend Cassie of physical and emotional abuse. 

After a lengthy hiatus, the rapper was on a promotional trail for his first album in 13 years, telling UK talk show host Graham Norton that he was rebranding himself as ‘Love’ and claiming he’d been on a ‘healing journey’.

Just days later, however, he was revealed as the subject of a lawsuit filed in Manhattan’s Federal District Court on Thursday in which Cassie claimed Diddy controlled and abused her for over a decade as well as plying her with drugs, beating her, and forcing her to have sex with multiple male prostitutes while he watched, masturbated and recorded.

Just one day after the lawsuit was filed, both Diddy and Cassie released statements announcing they had reached an agreement and resolved.

No specific details on the terms of the settlement were revealed.

Since then, three more women have emerged with allegations against Diddy, with one woman identifying herself as Jane Doe saying she had been sexually assaulted by him and other men in 2003, when she was 17.

Diddy denied the claims in a statement he released on Instagram December 6, saying that ‘enough is enough.

‘For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy,’ Diddy said. ‘Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday.

‘Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.’

Since the lawsuits emerged, Hulu has scuttled plans for a reality series about the rapper, tentatively named Diddy+7. 

Hulu was one of a number of companies to cancel their business arrangements with the I’ll Be Missing You singer, as a total of 23 companies have stopped working with Diddy’s e-commerce business Empower Global. 

5. Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas’ game of woes 

They had a fairytale French wedding and were proudly looking after two daughters. 

So fans were left in a spin in August when it emerged Sophie and Joe were divorcing after four years of marriage. 

The shock split quickly turned nasty as it was claimed Game Of Thrones star Sophie was blindsided by the divorce, while sources quickly began leaking reports that her ‘party’ lifestyle was to blame for the split. 

As several briefings emerged in America, painting Joe as a devoted father and Sophie as a party animal, a series of columns defending the actress – and questioning why Joe is being praised for looking after his own children – appeared, sparking a sexism row online.

British actress Sophie, who was living with their two daughters Willa, three, and Delphine, 16 months, at Taylor Swift’s apartment in New York at the time then accused American singer Joe of refusing to hand over their children’s passports.

The pair reached a temporary custody agreement in October which they announced in a joint statement that the children ‘will spend time equally in loving homes in both the U.S. and the UK.’ 

In December, it emerged that Sophie is dating British aristocrat Peregrine Pearson, with sauces claiming their blossoming romance is more than just a fling and helping Sophie ‘find herself’ amid her shock divorce. 

Sophie and Peregrine were first spotted kissing in Paris during the Rugby World Cup in October, just two months after she confirmed her separation from Joe. 

At first Joe slated his estranged wife for passionately kissing Peregrine in public – but the singer went on to seemingly do a U-turn.

An insider later told DailyMail.com in December: ‘Joe supports whatever choices she makes and if she is happy, he is happy. He loves his girls and his time with them.’ 

They added that Joe and Sophie are now on ‘good terms,’ just three months after their bitter breakup and custody battle was made public. 

6. Russell Brand’s fall from grace 

Russell became the subject of a police investigation after allegations were published from five women, four anonymously, in September accusing the comedian of rape, sexual assaults, and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013. 

Following a four-year investigation, the claims were published by The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches programme, prompting Russell’s former colleagues to speak out about the allegations. 

In September, Scotland Yard said it was probing multiple allegations involving sexual offences after alleged victims from London and other parts of the UK contacted police.

Last month, the BBC said two more complaints which were ‘not of a serious sexual nature’ were brought against the comic and actor after the broadcaster launched a review into his behaviour.

This was in addition to three other complaints made to the BBC before he was accused of rape and sexual assault.

Russell has denied allegations of rape and sexual assault and claimed his relationships were ‘always consensual’.

The first allegations included one woman alleging that Brand raped her against the wall of his Los Angeles home without a condom in 2013. She was treated at a rape crisis on the same day, according to medical records seen by The Times.

Another woman alleged he sexually assaulted her when she was 16-years-old and still at school in the UK.

A third claimed that Brand sexually assaulted her while she worked with him in LA. She alleged she repeatedly told him to get off her and when he finally did he ‘flipped’.

The fourth claimed she was sexually assaulted by Brand in the UK and accused him of being physically and emotionally abusive towards her.

A slew of further claims then emerged in the weeks, including a woman who contacted the Met to allege she had been sexually assaulted in Soho, London, in 2003. 

7. Lizzo’s bombshell lawsuit 

She’s famed for being a body positivity champion, feminist icon and advocate for oppressed voices. 

So Lizzo fans were left in shock when she was accused her of discrimination, sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment by her former backing dancers. 

The 35-year-old star – who may attempt to clear her name in a tell-all interview– was sued in August by three ex-members of her Big Grrls dance troupe.

Plaintiffs Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez claimed while on a concert trip with the artist to Amsterdam in February 2023, Lizzo invited them for a night out on the town that ended in the city’s Red Light District.

They said in their filing: ‘Things quickly got out of hand. Lizzo began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas.’

The dancers added Lizzo allegedly ‘pressured’ and ‘goaded’ Arianna into touching one of the nude performers’ breasts.

In another instance, the plaintiffs claim Lizzo invited the dancers to a club in Paris – but failed to mention that it was a nude cabaret bar. This ‘shocked’ the dancers, who said Lizzo ‘robbed them of the choice not to participate,’ the suit said.

Lizzo also allegedly made a claim the dancers were drinking before performances, which Williams then spoke out about. The popstar allegedly made the group go through an ‘excruciating’ 12-hour rehearsal.

Arianna, meanwhile, soiled her pants during the intense rehearsal because she was so fearful she’d lose her job, the documents state. She was then handed a see-through outfit with no undergarments to finish the performance, the suit said.

In a motion to dismiss the case, the singer’s legal team argued the suit had been filed by a trio with an ‘axe to grind’ against the star and had displayed ‘a pattern of gross misconduct and failure to perform their job up to par.’ 

8. Kevin Costner’s bitter divorce battle 

When Kevin announced his sudden split from Christine Baumgartner in May no one could have predicted that it would turn out to be one of Hollywood’s most acrimonious – and petty – divorces. 

Court documents obtained exclusively by the Mail laid bare the fierce war being waged between the couple over everything from Christine allegedly spending $100,000 of child support money from Kevin on plastic surgery, to who got ownership of the saucepans and the dog’s bed. 

After a months-long legal war, the 68-year-old actor and his wife of nearly 20 years finally reached a settlement, where it was reported Christine, 49, had received more than $400,000 to pay the costs of the contentious courtroom battle.

A joint statement from the exes provided to DailyMail.com read: ‘Kevin and Christine Costner have come to an amicable and mutually agreed upon resolution of all issues pertaining to their divorce proceedings.’ 

Kevin’s legal team – which was headed by ‘disso queen’ Laura Wasser – had won a series of legal battles leading up to the settlement.

A friend of Christine told DailyMail.com:  ‘Christine didn’t really have a choice but to settle because Kevin had all the power. Had she continued fighting, she would risk losing everything.

‘Christine said it is what it is. That she won’t miss going to court and having sleepless nights. She said for the kids it’s a win because no child wants to go thru this, let alone in public.

‘She was the one who wanted to settle things outside of court in the first place. She never wanted any of this circus. It’s been a living nightmare and now she just wants to move on and start fresh and begin making her new house a home.’

Kevin has since moved on with 49-year-old singer Jewel, with Christine saying it’s ‘bittersweet’ to see her Yellowstone actor ex dating just three months after their contentious divorce was finalised.

But Christine thinks it could have been worse, telling a friend the last thing she would want is some fame-seeking bimbo to come along and play mom to their children. 

9. Danny Masterson is jailed 

That ’70s Show star Danny Masterson was given a 30-to-life sentence in September after being charged with the rape of two women. 

At least three women accused Masterson of rape between 2001 and 2003, claiming the actor leveraged his position in the Church of Scientology to keep word from getting out.

The women were all members of the church which is centered around a set of practices by author L. Ron Hubbard.

Prior to sentencing, the court heard victim impact statements in which one told the fallen star: ‘You relish in hurting women. It is your addiction. It is without question your favorite thing to do.’  

The actor was also chastised by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo who told the actor that he was ‘not the victim here.’

‘Mr. Masterson, I know that you’re sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that has failed you. But Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here,’ the judge said.

‘Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s voice and choice. One way or another you will have to come to terms with your prior actions, and their consequences,’ she added.

In October the star was expelled from the Church of Scientology and declared a ‘suppressive person’ – or ‘SP’ – which the church defines as someone whose behavior seeks to impede the spiritual progress of those around him.

The label means fellow Scientologists, including his wife Bijou Phillips and his family, will be required to cut all ties with the convicted rapist.

But even with the expulsion, the church maintains that Danny is innocent of all charges, according to insiders. 

Danny’s That ’70s Show co-stars Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher landed in hot water when they shared letters of support for the convicted rapist and ‘begged the judge for leniency’ after the trial. 

10. Jada and Will Smith’s marital mess 

While Jada Pinkett Smith prides herself on her openness, she dropped a major bombshell in October when she revealed that she and Will have been separated for the last seven years.

The shock revelation was made all the more explosive when she clarified that it meant they were not together when Will slapped Chris Rock for mocking Jada’s bald head at the 2022 Oscars. 

Jada and Will married in 1997 and have previously addressed separations and marital troubles in the past, but continued to repeatedly gush about their romance in interviews and online.

Even after Jada admitted that she’d had an affair with singer August Alsina in a 2020 episode of her Facebook Watch show Red Table Talk, the pair continued to brazenly declare their love and commitment for one another, putting on loved-up displays on the red carpet, sharing Instagram tributes, and regularly referring to one another as ‘husband’ and ‘wife’.

Despite living apart, the couple – who share two children – haven’t officially given up hope on a reconciliation.  

In an interview with Today, the 52-year-old actress claimed that people initially ‘missed’ the point of her statement and that things weren’t over between her and Will. 

Jada said: ‘We are working very hard at bringing our relationship, yes, bringing our relationship back together… Back to a life partnership, yes. 

‘Husband-wife marriage for me, for my healing process. I came into that with very specific ideas, right? Very specific ideas that were blocks. 

‘To me just seeing Will to who he is. He can’t be this perfect idealized husband.

‘I have to be able to accept him for the human he is. He accepts me for the human that I am, and we want to love each other there. We really have been working hard.’